3 Missing Toes , Leg Mites And Maggots

[Cochin378]

I recently rescued a bantam hen form squalled conditions. Her feet are covered with leg mites which led to a build up to what I can only describe as calcification of her entire foot and leg. It is like this super hard layer of extra skin that does not have the normal scales or color even. I pulled back a piece of this callus and it revealed what looked like maggots. I don't know what to do with her. How should I go about getting the callus off and treating the poor thing? I have never seen anything like this in my entire life.

 

[welasharon]

I treated some that had really bad leg mites to the point that toes were lost but didn't find anything living under the crusty stuff. I would try soaking the crusty stuff in epsom salts or even mineral or vegetable oil (which is what I used) to gently remove the crusts. It took patience. If I peeled it off too soon it bled. Then you would need to deal with the maggots, or whatever it is. They may not survive the soaking maybe? I feel so bad for her, and you too! Good luck! Maybe someone else will have I definite idea on the maggots. Although I don't think it is good to leave them there. Something about toxins when they die???!!
sharon

 

[wolftracks]

I have a little bantam hen that had really bad leg mites when I got her.

I soaked her legs in Epsom salts and then wiped with peroxide. Then I rubbed vaseline into them. The crust just started falling off after the first time. Vaseline may also sufficate the maggots, but never seen that before.

 

[tiki244]

I had one that took over two months of soaking each day to gently get the scaly crust offf. Like other poster said dont peal too soon. Vaseline or other oil works good. I wopuld think maybe you could put olive oil on cause if you soak everynight the vaseline will be harder to take off. As for the maggots I hope you can find some solution to kill them. I bet she has lice/mites on her skin too so I would check for that and powder her or give her a bath or something. But dont give her a bath if she is going to be in the cold. Good Luck and bless your heart.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi good of you to rescue her, I think a good soak of her whole body in a nice warm epsom salt bath would probably make her feel so much better. keep us updated.

 

[sourland]

Treat her legs as suggested but don't put her through the unnecessary stress of a bath at this point in the game.

 

[Miss Lydia]

sourland, most hens love a bath and I was thinking if she has mites on her body this would be a way to get them off with out the stress of dusting her. Of course with a nice blow dry afterwards.

 

[Judy]

Most definitely a bath, epsom salts or just a mild soap, Dawn dish liquid is used extensively on animals, whatever. If she is that bad, she could easily die from the bugs. I imagine she will feel so much better getting the critters off, she won't even be stressed by the bath. You have to get those maggots off her, for sure, or they will literally eat her alive.

 

[KONG]

If they are maggots they will only eat dead flesh and this could be beneficial to the chicken. If you kill them make sure you remove them all.

 

[Cochin378]

Update #1

Last night I preformed what you could call a surgery on the hen. I bathed her in some dawn antibacterial dish soap and soaked her feet in the warm water. Next, I got a sharp pair of tweezers and a scalpel, and started trying to pull off the huge layer of dead skin. I tested the pad of the foot to see if she had any feeling in it and she showed no response. After that I started pulling and cutting the callus off, an hour later she had something that looked like a normal foot instead of a deformed blob. I felt it was necessary to get rid of most of the callus even though it was bleeding because I wanted to get rid of the bugs that looked like maggots and try to sanitize the infected area. Then I cleaned up the other foot and cut the horrendously long nails. Finally at 7:30 at night I put sprayed the feel and legs with Wound Coat and wrapped them in pink vet wrap.

When I put her in the cage she proceeded to walk better than I had seen her walk before. Today I am going to change the bandages, spray the Wound coat on again and lather both of her feet and legs in Bag Balm.